Judas and the Black Messiah

 Judas and the Black Messiah (2021 -- Oscars 2020)

Starring LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominque Fishback, and Martin Sheen

Directed by Shaka King

Written by Will Berson and Shaka King

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Queen & Slim

 Queen & Slim (2019)

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, and Sturgill Simpson

Directed by Melina Matsoukas

Written by Lena Waithe

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Widows

Widows (2018)

Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Carrie Coon, Lukas Haas, Jacki Weaver, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson

Directed by Steve McQueen

Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After their criminal husbands are killed while attempting to complete a robbery, their widowed wives are forced to contemplate committing a crime of their own when a shady man demands money their husbands owed him.

 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Black Panther

Black Panther (2018)

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Following the death of T'Chaka (which occurred in Captain America: Civil War), his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) rises to the throne of Wakanda, an African country that has secretly created a wide array of high-tech weaponry and science-based technology thanks to a metallic substance called vibranium which arrived via a meteorite centuries ago.  A black-market arms dealer Klaue (Andy Serkis) teams up with Erik Stevens AKA Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to steal some Wakandan artifacts in order to use the weaponry on the Wakandan people.  Upon his arrival in Wakanda, Killmonger sets out to take down T'Chaka and change the mindset of the Wakandan people.

• Black Panther is obviously a ground-breaking film as it places black superheroes front and center for the first time.  It's certainly heavily steeped in African culture, yet it's also inherently a Marvel movie.  It strikes a nice balance between the two.
• The stars of the flick are actually the women, with Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, and especially Letitia Wright mixing the right amount of charisma and strength.  The titular character as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman is certainly fine, but he's honestly a little bland.  
• Ultimately, the film is held back a bit by the typical origin story problems that plague any initial superhero flick.  While this one isn't quite a tedious as other origin flicks, it still is building a universe and oftentimes the building blocks aren't quite as exciting as what will inevitably be the final product.
• In addition, the flick's story structure feels like two separate tales -- the first dealing more with arms dealer Klaue and the second with Killmonger.  While the two are certainly appropriately pieced together, by the end of the film, the first half almost feels unnecessary when you look back upon it.
• I do think the film actually carries some deeper political meaning...and I'm not quite sure I can agree with its statements.  However, Black Panther as a film brings a solid new addition to the Marvel pantheon.  One may think that the rating below is low, but it's actually in the upper half of Marvel movies to me.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Get Out

Get Out (2017)

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield, and Catherine Keener

Directed by Jordan Peele

Written by Jordan Peele

***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words or less): Visiting the family of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) for a weekend at their home, a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) soon realizes that something ominous is afoot and that his life may be at risk.

• Almost like a modern-day retelling of The Stepford Wives
• A solid thriller with a nice performance by Daniel Kaluuya
• The debut direction of Jordan Peele shows promise, but I think it lacked a bit of finesse when it came to elevating the thrills, however Peele deserves credit for keeping his film moving
• The film's comedic moments -- Peele is best known for his comedy -- unfortunately fall a bit flat and feel generic as opposed to the rest of the film which feels a bit fresher
• I don't quite get the all out love for this film and should it win Best Picture at the Oscars, I'll really have lost faith in the Academy.  It's not that Get Out is bad in any way, but it doesn't have anything particularly special going for it except for its racial politics.  Once again, Get Out is decent...but it's not mind-blowing in any form.

The RyMickey Rating:  B